First greater flamingo chicks hatched in Bulgaria's Atanasovsko lake near Bourgas

For the first time in Bulgaria, three greater flamingos hatched in Atanasovsko Lake near the coastal city of Bourgas, ornithologist and representative of the Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds Dr. Petar Yankov said. The announcement came on the eve of the 44th anniversary of the declaration of the lake as a protected reserve.

"Our monitoring started on 16 June, when the baby flamingos were about one week old. They were moving around the adults in a colony consisting of about 45 nests," Dr. Yankov explained.

According to him, the nesting colony first formed in July last year. Due to the late formation of the colony, the flamingos did not have the biological time to raise their young, the expert explained. "Usually, the chicks hatch in May so that they can grow up within three or four months before they fly off on their own and before the colder months," he clarified.

According to the ornithologist, the hatching of the three chicks flamingos is a sign that Lake Atanasovo is perceived as a safe home for the colony.

"The flamingos nest only where the place is safe. The greater flamingos have lived here for eight years but only now found the place safe enough to raise chicks in sufficiently secure conditions where there are no predators and no human influence."

Images by BTA

The flamingo is a large bird and does not breed every year, but in two or three years we can expect the next generation of pink flamingo here, the ornithologist hopes. According to him, the lake is inhabited by about 3,500 pink flamingos.

Flock of greater flamingos settled in Lake Atanasovsko near Bulgaria’s Bourgas